Dec. 8, 2021: ‘Ghost Kitchens’ help restaurants innovate; Who are the ‘New Builders?’
The pandemic’s meant challenges and opportunities in the workplace, especially for restaurants. That’s where concepts like “ghost kitchens” come in. Then, the “new builders” are redefining entrepreneurship. And, Olympic hopeful Alex Hall and the Winter Games’ newest sport, Freeski Big Air.
Innovation’s on the menu to help restaurants make it through tough pandemic times
From ghost kitchens to virtual restaurants, innovations are helping restaurants stay in business, and helping new restaurants open, at a time when the pandemic continues to make operations difficult. Mark and Sally Bare run Angry Bear Fajita Bowls through ChefReady in Denver. Alejandra Gonzalez also uses one of ChefReady’s kitchens for her dessert company, Localeta’s. ChefReady is the brainchild of Nili Poynter and her husband, who founded the company to give aspiring chefs the chance to start a business without incurring the costs of a brick and mortar restaurant or shop. Paul Allen with NextBite offers another approach using what he calls virtual restaurants.
‘The New Builders’ breaks stereotypes and broadens support for entrepreneurs
A new book argues there is a misperception about who the country’s entrepreneurs really are and it contends that misperception is hindering economic growth. Seth Levine is a partner and co-founder at the Boulder-based venture capital firm Foundry Group. He co-wrote “The New Builders.” Makisha Boothe is founder of Denver-based Sistahbiz. It’s a business accelerator for Black female entrepreneurs.
Nov. 24, 2021: Granted clemency, now rebuilding his life; The Women’s Bean Project
At age 15, Curtis Brooks was sentenced to life without parole. He was granted clemency and released in 2019. He’s adjusting to a new life, and recently was married. Then, the Women’s Bean Project thrives as it trains women. Also, emotional growth in the pandemic. And, using social media influencers to draw students to college. Plus, Mexican dance in Pueblo.
After 24 years behind bars, Curtis Brooks builds a new life
As a teenager, Curtis Brooks was sentenced to life without parole for his role in a robbery. After 24 years behind bars he was granted clemency. Brooks now lives in New York and recently was married.
Women’s Bean Project thrives in a tough year
While some businesses have faced hard times during the pandemic, the Women’s Bean Project has had its biggest sales year ever. The group, which hires women who struggle to find work. Project CEO Tamra Ryan hopes this holiday season will be just as good.
A snowflake isn’t a snowflake, isn’t a snowflake — and the science behind the differences
It’s only a matter of time before the state’s blanketed in snow — which is great If you’re a skier, but maybe not so much when you have to shovel your drive along the Front Range. But did you know there are actually different types of snowflakes? Sam Ng is an avid snow watcher and an expert in the different kinds of snowflakes that fall to the ground. He’s also a professor of meteorology at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Expect sky-high prices as air travel picks up
Many more Coloradans will fly this holiday season than in 2020 — in part because people feel much more secure since the COVID-19 vaccine became available — and because a lot of people are tired of staying at home. We speak with Mike Boyd, President of the Evergreen-based aviation consulting firm Boyd Group International about why the cost is rising rapidly and whether to expect more cancellations like the recent ones by Southwest and American.
A massage therapist on the business challenges amidst a pandemic
We continue to talk to Coloradans about how they’re managing COVID-19. Massage therapist Carrie Bohlmann of Castle Rock says she’s exasperated by the ups and downs of running a business during a pandemic. She says she loses work every time she’s exposed to the virus and has to wait for test results.
A blurry outlook for the upcoming flu season as pandemic persists
Each year researchers try to predict the intensity of the upcoming flu season, but the picture is extra complicated this year because of COVID-19. Last year, the flu season was relatively mild because so many people were masking and social distancing but scientists don’t know whether that will continue. There’s also concern that if the flu is more prevalent this year, Colorado’s hospitals will face even more challenges.
Dr. Richard Webby is an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. He’s directs the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Influenza Studies. We spoke to him last year about the 20-21 flu season nationally and in Colorado. He returns to tell us what researchers know about this year’s season.
Mixed-race family says racial profiling fueled suspicions of human trafficking
Authorities have been beefing up their efforts to crack down on human trafficking but one mother believes those efforts may be going too far. Mary MacCarthy and her 10-year-old daughter were stopped and questioned by Denver Police as they deboarded a Southwest Airlines flight at Denver International Airport. A flight attendant suspected human trafficking but MacCarthy says the incident had more to do with racial profiling. She is white and her daughter is Black. The police say the case has since been closed and the charges were unfounded.
How one Western Slope hospital is dealing with COVID
Colorado has the fifth highest rate of people with COVID-19 in the nation — and cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. The Western Slope has consistently been a hot spot for the virus and, at times, ICU beds have been full. Dr. Diane Janowicz is an infectious disease physician at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction.
The ‘Artnauts’ bring art to countries in conflict
The Artnauts, based in Boulder, have traveled the world since 1996 to bring their art to countries in conflict. The group, created by CU Boulder professors, is an art collective with a mission to address global strife. It’s holding its 25th anniversary exhibition, “Uncanny Times: Looking Back, Looking Forward,” at Seidel City in Boulder through November 13. Ceramicist Martha Russo has been in the Artnauts since it started and spoke with Andrea Dukakis.
New docuseries explores a case of murder in the Colorado Rockies
It’s a story of a murder that seems stranger than fiction. In 2012, Toni Henthorn was pushed off a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park by her husband. And it wasn’t the first suspicious death in his past. The case is the subject a new docuseries from ABC News and Hulu called “Wild Crime.” Author Caleb Hannan explores that murder in Rocky Mountain National Park in his book, “The Accidents.” We spoke in 2018.
Oct. 21, 2021: The evolution of ECT to treat depression; a Rocky Mountain murder mystery
Many people already struggling with anxiety and depression say their problems intensified during the pandemic. Today, we talk about the evolution of ECT or electroconvulsive therapy. Then, school board races get more political. And, a new docuseries explores a murder in the Colorado Rockies. We listen back to an interview with an author who documented the case.
The evolution of ECT to treat severe depression and anxiety
Many people already struggling with anxiety and depression say their problems intensified during the pandemic. Hannah Wyatt Sultan shares her journey of recovery using ECT or electroconvulsive therapy. Dr. Konoy Mandal is a psychiatrist at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont. He directs the hospital’s ECT unit.
